Bill Nunn (American football)
Encyclopedia
William G. Nunn, Jr. is a U.S. American football
scout
of the Pittsburgh Steelers
in the National Football League
(NFL). He is also known as Bill Nunn, Sr.
neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. He is the son of William G. Nunn, Sr., the managing editor of the Pittsburgh Courier which was among the most influential black publications in the nation.
The younger Nunn attended college at West Virginia State
where he was a stand-out basketball player on a team which went 26–0 in his senior season. His high school and college teammate, Chuck Cooper would become the first black player drafted by the NBA
. Another college teammate, Earl Lloyd
, was the first black to play in an NBA game.
Nunn was recruited by the Harlem Globetrotters
, but chose instead to return home to Pittsburgh to work at the Courier.
at the Courier, and eventually moved up to become the sports editor and then managing editor in the mid-1960s after his father's retirement.
's Pittsburgh Steelers
on a part-time basis in 1967, and joined the team full-time in 1969.
(William G. Nunn III), is an actor, perhaps most notable for playing Radio Raheem in Do The Right Thing
. Because of his son's fame, the elder Nunn refers to himself as Bill Nunn, Sr. Their daughter, Lynell Wilson, is a former U.S. Attorney.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
scout
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
of the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL). He is also known as Bill Nunn, Sr.
Early life
Nunn was born and raised in the HomewoodHomewood (Pittsburgh)
Homewood is a predominantly African American neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, officially divided into three neighborhoods: Homewood North, Homewood South and Homewood West....
neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. He is the son of William G. Nunn, Sr., the managing editor of the Pittsburgh Courier which was among the most influential black publications in the nation.
The younger Nunn attended college at West Virginia State
West Virginia State University
West Virginia State University is a historically black public college in Institute, West Virginia, United States. In the Charleston-metro area, the school is usually referred to simply as "State" or "West Virginia State"...
where he was a stand-out basketball player on a team which went 26–0 in his senior season. His high school and college teammate, Chuck Cooper would become the first black player drafted by the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. Another college teammate, Earl Lloyd
Earl Lloyd
Earl Francis Lloyd is a retired American basketball player. He was the first African-American to play in the National Basketball Association, in the 1950-51 NBA season...
, was the first black to play in an NBA game.
Nunn was recruited by the Harlem Globetrotters
Harlem Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy. The executive offices for the team are currently in downtown Phoenix, Arizona; the team is owned by Shamrock Holdings, which oversees the various investments of the Roy E. Disney family.Over...
, but chose instead to return home to Pittsburgh to work at the Courier.
Journalism
Nunn started as a sportswriterSports journalism
Sports journalism is a form of journalism that reports on sports topics and events.While the sports department within some newspapers has been mockingly called the toy department, because sports journalists do not concern themselves with the 'serious' topics covered by the news desk, sports...
at the Courier, and eventually moved up to become the sports editor and then managing editor in the mid-1960s after his father's retirement.
Scouting career
Nunn was asked to join the scouting staff of the NFLNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
on a part-time basis in 1967, and joined the team full-time in 1969.
Personal
Nunn lives with his wife, Frances, in the Schenley Heights neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Their son, Bill NunnBill Nunn
-Early life:Nunn was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of William G. Nunn, Jr., a well-known journalist and editor at the Pittsburgh Courier, as well as an NFL scout. Nunn's paternal grandfather was the first African American football player at George Westinghouse High School.Nunn was a...
(William G. Nunn III), is an actor, perhaps most notable for playing Radio Raheem in Do The Right Thing
Do the Right Thing
Do the Right Thing is a 1989 American dramedy produced, written, and directed by Spike Lee, who is also a featured actor in the film. Other members of the cast include Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, and John Turturro. It is also notably the...
. Because of his son's fame, the elder Nunn refers to himself as Bill Nunn, Sr. Their daughter, Lynell Wilson, is a former U.S. Attorney.